Happy Easter

As I sit at my computer on this fabulous Easter morning...

 I can't help but wonder why children searching for Easter eggs don't go directly to the source....

 A yard full of Easter eggs isn't as desirable as one might think.....
Once you've stuffed the eggs with candy, your expected to go hid them all over the yard. Then your made to guard the eggs while waiting for all the kids to come outside--- Guarding the eggs is key, the minute you go inside some wise cracking dog comes over and does his business right in the middle of the yard.... and that could potentially be disastrous...

I say this year lets mix it up a bit!

 Lets put those kids to good use and search for more important things....
Plastic eggs with candy inside?..... who thought that up? Help me find my sunglasses!
I think my breakfast is ready.....


Have a fabulous Easter everyone~
 Cha-cha-cha...

big hugs,

Flattened spoons

I've been pounding spoons again....

these ones I have tried something different....

Instead of drilling holes in them to hang from a ball chain....

I've glued them to necklace bezels instead...
These are so much easier and faster than drilling through the metal spoons!
I just had to share this photo of my cat Pee Wee sleeping on the grand kids pillows. Good thing they are not allergic to cats. *wink*
big hugs,

A Pirate American Girl Doll

I was wanting to create some pirate outfits for my grand daughter's American girl dolls. I think last count she has eight of the 18 inch dolls... I better get cracking! I bought a polka dot long sleeve babies shirt at a thrift store for .50¢, the size on the label said it was for a six to nine month old. At first glance I thought the long sleeves looked like I could make them into doll pants.....

I cut the sleeves from the shirt and turned them inside out... starting to look like pants already!

I placed one sleeve inside the other sleeve right sides together and pinned the edges and then stitched along the pin line...

Once I stitched the pant legs together, I placed the pants onto the doll and turned over the excess fabric to create a straight waist band. I pinned the waist band while it was on the doll, pulled it off and stitched the waist band. I pulled the t-shirt fabric just a little bit as I stitched to make sure the new pants would fit the doll, but not so much that I would have to add elastic. That was it---- they were finished.

Easy, fast pants for an American girl doll or any other 18 inch doll you fancy.

I searched online for a free printable pattern to make a doll's shirt--- no such luck. So, I made up my own  pattern and whipped up a shirt along with a black sash...

I love the striped top with the polka dot pants, it cracks me up! Here is one outfit completed. Only seven more to go~

aaarrrrrgggghhhh!

First Day of Spring

Ah warmer weather, longer days ahead.... sweet. I wanted to create a new necklace to wear to celebrate if you will the arrival of Spring. Here it is in all its glory.

I bought the religious medal off of a guy I see weekly out at the swap meet. He always says, "For you, I'll give you a special price." Which in theory sounds fabulous, but.... he says that to everyone!

 He is always good for a laugh if nothing else. Its funny how your drawn to different things at different times....


 Right now I'm drawn to things from the ocean. Probably in large part for my desire for warmer weather. *wink*..... I used a piece of abalone shell in this necklace. I adore abalone shells... and pearls.... and bling... well you get the idea.

big hugs,

Getting Ready for Summer

I had to make a new liner for my weekend shopping cart as the old one I made out of a vintage quilt was getting pretty ratty. I made this liner months and months ago--- and even though I got oo000ooohhhssss & aaAAaaahhhssss over it, I wasn't finished with it!

 It was needing something to hang over the wire bars at the top, as is, its sooooooo "swap meet." I intended to add a piece of a lace valance, but I had so much fun making the ruffled piece for my vintage laundry basket, that I whipped up a topper for my shopping cart as well. Plus, I have a huge bag of ruffles I premade just waiting to be used. It was pretty easy to stitch the ruffles to the liner and flip it over the edge and taaa daaa....

 finished & caute!

I also reattached my "Artsy Fartsy" sign to my cart. It fell off last summer and had been in the trunk of my car ever since *wink* I just love ruffles! I remember having a pair of ruffled "party pants" when I was about five years old... I lifted my dress to show everyone at a party my ruffles... and then being swatted on my ruffled butt for doing so...... *sigh*
 To this day, that swat makes no sense at all.... Party/party pants? Hello--- just showing my enthusiasm for partying!
big hugs,

Vintage Dress Form

Since last years "Dress Form Ball"... I've added a new dress from to my ever growing collection.... this post was previously published on 9/26/12...
It has been a year since I spied this fabulous dress form with a skirted cage at a street fair in San Juan Batista... she was $500.00.... isn't she beautiful! The price was outrageous... is that the going price? who knew? My thinking was more along the lines of $75.00 tops---- Yes, I live in the small city of Harrington, and my name is Pollyanna~
 
I knew I would come across one more along the price I was wanting to pay--- I'm extremely lucky like that. Well, I've gone and done it and it only took me one year and one month to do it---

A wonderful 1914 Victorian Dress Form with a metal cage skirt and cast iron stand on wheels in excellent condition.

 This dress form has all of its original paper labels... and even one hang tag that was dangling in the inside of the form----
The backside of this hang tag explains the controls of the dress form. Number 8 was especially funny as it read, "Ratchets inside of bust form, which control the broadening of the shoulders and enlarges the bust, can also be adjusted for deformity." Deformity? interesting.

This beauty has an expandable wire metal collar, there is iron keys that adjusts the form up and down and.... out. She will adjust up to 66" tall. When all pushed in like in the pictures the measurements are: Bust: 32" Waist: 25" Hips: 38" Across shoulders" 15"
  
Are you wondering what I paid for this charmer???? Are ya?... are ya? It was marked $100.00.... I got it for $60.00! *woot-woot-happy-dance* I did some google searches on this dress form--- one sold via Ruby Lane for $450 bucker-roooooos~ 
I think this is number 6 in my dress form collection. You can view the rest here. I have linked up to The Polka Dot Closet's 2nd Annual dress form ball.

Oh its on....

*UPDATE* I had a blast selling today. The event was scheduled for 7 hours... I left $430 odd dollars richer after only three hours of selling... I got bored... what can I say. *wink* Thank you to all my friends who showed up today--- you were a nice distraction. Big hugs to you all!!!

I've got my van almost completely packed for tomorrows antique sale that I am going to be selling at. I wanted to share the ruffled liner I made for the vintage laundry basket I bought last month before I pack it into the van. I actually bought it at the same event I am going to be selling at this month.... I am keeping an eye out for more!! Ten bucks--- who sells such cuteness for $10! I am going to put a lot of vintage linens for sale inside.... cute-cute-cute. (I've made a NOT FOR SALE sign for my laundry basket!)
 
 I added a piece of cardboard at the bottom and covered it with sheet music. I can now add heavier things inside the basket if ever I need to without the liner falling through the wire mesh.

I also covered this large picture display piece with some old book pages. I am going to use this to showcase some earrings for sale. I used vintage playing cards to hold the sets of earrings....

It holds twenty four playing cards easily...

I've got a lot in reserve too. In total, I counted 60 sets of earrings... These are all made with vintage beads, but I always use new ear wires and bead pins when I make them.

Its going to be fun.... I hope. *wink*

Antique Show & Sale

I have been keeping myself busy making a lot of new shrine necklaces to sell this weekend at an antique swap meet I've got a sellers space at.

 I've got a lot of vintage and antique things already boxed up for sale... and thought I'd try selling some of the shrine necklaces to see if there is any interest in them.

 You just never know what people are interested in buying at those events...

I personally never know what I'm wanting to buy until I see it!
These most recent spoon shrines are a smaller version of the ones I normally make-- the smaller shrines are going to be sold for $5.00 each and the larger ones I am still going to be asking $10.00 for.

There are so many high priced things at antique sales, you want something so badly--- and the price tags make you set it down and walk away quickly--- or kick yourself for not buying it when you've seen the very same thing at a yard sale for a few bucks!

 I figure these will move fast just because people like to buy something/anything---- and five to ten bucks is doable in my opinion.

I also have a lot of things I've made that I'm going to be selling for under $5.00. I've got every one covered from the super rich to the "I'm wanting something but I've got no money" buyers..... something for every price range *wink*

Now comes the tedious part of putting all of these onto chains and onto cards and bagging them up for sale. It's getting down to the wire, Saturday is fast approaching-- eeek!
I've linked up to "How Sweet the Sounds blog shop" linky party.